Kosher controversy over Roman artichokes

Israeli rabbis say Rome's carciofi alla giudia not kosher.

Rome's Jewish community is contesting a ruling by the Israeli rabbinate which says that carciofi alla giudia, a signature Roman-Jewish dish, is non-kosher, according to a report in Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.Israeli rabbis say that Rome's Jewish-style artichokes should be banned from Israel's restaurants because small worms or parasites present in the vegetable mean it is not kosher and therefore forbidden under Jewish religious laws.Rome's Jewish community however says there is no possibility of impurity in the dish due to special Roman-Jewish cooking guidelines, adding that the Roman artichoke is different to the variety grown in Israel. Roman Jewish sources told Italian news agency ANSA that Rome's artichokes have a narrow stem preventing worms from entering and that their purity is additionally assured by rigorous cleaning, rinsing and frying.However, according to Haaretz, some members of the Jewish community in Milan have asked a local kosher restaurant - also present in Rome - to remove carciofi alla giudia from its menu, to be on the safe side.

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